Jen

Trump’s Pick to Lead Labor Data Agency Adds to Fears of Political Interference

Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/12/b...

When economists from right leaning American Institute for Economic Research & American Enterprise Institute criticize you, will the Senate reject? Reject him senators!

What Happens When Politicians Meddle With Economic Data: Argentina’s Example Echoes of the Argentine experience have reverberated in the U.S. since Trump fired the Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, accusing the agency of rigging jobs figures.

What happens when bad politicians start “faking” economic data? Here’s what happened to this country that did it. www.wsj.com/economy/trum...

BREAKING: A federal court temporarily blocked ICE from subjecting people to inhumane conditions at 26 Federal Plaza in New York.

HUGE. The first major court victory involving conditions of confinement at ICE field offices. The judge bars detention in any cell which isn't:

- Restricted by capacity
- Has mats for people to sleep on overnight
- Is cleaned 3 times a day
- Provides hygiene supplies
- Offers free legal calls

Ice dam at Alaska’s Mendenhall Glacier releases floodwater toward downstream homes A huge basin of rainwater and snowmelt dammed by Alaska’s Mendenhall Glacier has started to release, sending a potentially record surge of flooding toward parts of Juneau in what has become an annual concern for residents.

A huge basin of rainwater and snowmelt dammed by Alaska’s Mendenhall Glacier has started to release, and officials on Tuesday urged residents in some parts of Juneau to evacuate ahead of what could be a record surge of floodwater downstream.

A lone ranger patrols 900 miles of trails in WA’s ‘Disneyland.’ It’s getting disgusting The lack of a ranger presence has prompted a call for an emergency restriction that limits access to the Enchantments — before problems cause irreparable harm.

Close the gate to The Enchantments! Without sufficient rangers, every weekend more and more of this incredible place is being destroyed. Great article by @seattletimes-rss.bsky.social Gregory Scruggs.
www.seattletimes.com/life/outdoor...

Alarming acceleration in glacier loss documented by PNW scientists Mauri Pelto's 42 years of glacier study show alarming melt rates in Washington's North Cascades National Park.

On thin ice from KING5 Seattle looks at some of our work from field season and 42 year history of observations.

www.king5.com/article/tech...

Kim Davis going from "my religious beliefs demand that I don't facilitate a same-sex marriages" to "my religious beliefs demand that there are NO same-sex marriages anywhere" *should* make Democrats realize there is no "sincere" compromise with bigots on trans issues.

“Delete your old emails to save water” isn’t bad because it’s individualising the climate crisis, it’s bad because it’s complete nonsense from top to bottom. It’s like saying “eat less lettuce to save water”, you can see the thought process but it’s that of a child who knows two facts

"You work in healthcare? What's the craziest thing you've seen?"

I don't know man, but it's probably RFK Jr and this administration cutting vaccine funding, firing top health officials and scientists, linking fake studies to support "wellness" BS, letting children die of measles, shall I go on?

Pretty sure AC and freezers are both more socially useful and more efficient than data centers.

Wifi isn’t expensive in terms of electricity (unless you’re misusing wifi to mean something other than building level local wireless transmissions administered at household/office level).

Did… did a fish write this

Pair this with the descriptions in Nancy Springer's Enola Holmes books of a "flat front and back" teen padding her "bust" and "hips" with supplies like rope, first aid kit, money, etc

Given how strangely charitable Donald Trump is to a wide variety of criminals, does anyone really think his military takeover of Washington, D.C. is about crime?

A selfie with the Cheshire Cat at Disneyland. He’s wearing his pink and purple stripes, and I’m wearing sunglasses and Pride ears.

We’re all mad here, and it’s OK.

I'm starting to think maybe the qanon/Republican obsession with child sex abuse might be a sham 🤔

TRANSCRIPT OF CARTOON This cartoon has four panels. Each of them shows the same two characters walking through a park. The character on the left has a gender-ambiguous look, with short hair on the sides and a big puff on top, glasses, jeans, and a purple plaid flannel shirt open over a blue t-shirt. We’ll call them “Flannel.” The character on the right is a guy, has short, neat hair, and is wearing a thick zip-up hoodie over a white t-shirt. We’ll call him “Hoodie.” PANEL 1 The two are walking along a paved footpath through a park, Hoodie in front. Both of them are calm. HOODIE: So-called “gender affirming care” is an atrocity! FLANNEL: So a cis girl with PCOS shouldn’t get medicine to reduce facial hair? HOODIE: I don’t mean that. PANEL 2 A closer shot from the front; the two are still walking along without facing each other (Hoodie’s back is to Flannel), and still calm. FLANNEL: Are you against breast reduction surgery for cis boys with gynecomastia? HOODIE: Nope. PANEL 3 The same scene as they walk on. FLANNEL: Cis women getting laser hair removal? Cis men taking testosterone? Boob jobs for cis teens? Rogaine and Viagra for cis men? HOODIE: All those are fine. PANEL 4 Hoodie suddenly turns around, leaning forward, angry and yelling; Flannel, surprised, leans back. FLANNEL: How about when a trans person– HOODIE: THAT’S EVIL AND MUST BE BANNED!

Gender Affirming Care: Evil Except When It's Not

By me and @nadinescholtes.bsky.social

Read more cartoons! #PoliCartoon
Help us make more! patreon.com/barry

TRANSCRIPT OF CARTOON This cartoon has four panels. Each panel shows a different scene with different characters. PANEL 1 A bald white man wearing a brown suit is speaking directly to the reader. He has a gun-shaped flame lighter in one hand, a flame coming out the end, and a book in the other hand. The book’s title is “Woke Gender Stuff,” and the book is on fire. MAN: You’ve probably heard woke liberal media lies about Republicans banning books from schools. But we love learning! We just want students to hear the truth! So sit down and learn some G.O.P. APPROVED HISTORY. (The last three words of the Man’s dialog are in huge letters.) PANEL 2 Two Black men are wearing Victorian-era suits, seated in plush armchairs in an exclusive men’s club; they hold cigars and wine glasses. The first man grins as he speaks to us; the second man is leaning forward in his chair, as if he’s intent on us getting this point. 1st MAN: I’m a Black African in 1526! My friends and I created the intercontinental slave trade and whites had nothing to do with it! 2nd MAN: Remember that, kids – whites are totally innocent! PANEL 3 A modern-looking boxing ring. There are two boxers in the ring. On the left: King George, looking weak, with a royal crown over a white powdered wig, boxing gloves, and a “Che” t-shirt. On the right is a shirtless, hugely muscled Tom Jefferson, with a big “We The People” tattoo on his back. KING GEORGE: I’m King George (they/them), here to fight Tom Jefferson! JEFFERSON: I’m Tom Jefferson! I invented freedom. I’m so kind to my slaves, and did I mention I’m definitely not a rapist? PANEL 4 Lincoln, Reagan, and Jesus with their arms around each other. Abe is holding a can of beer. Jesus has a halo floating over a tricorn hat, and a “Don’t Tread On Me” t-shirt. LINCOLN: I’m Abe Lincoln, and I’m a Republican! That’s all you need to know about me. REAGAN: I’m Abe’s best friend Ronald Reagan! JESUS: And I’m Jesus! We’re all Republicans!

G.O.P. Approved History!

By me and @valigarmander.bsky.social

Read more cartoons! #PoliCartoon
Help us make more! patreon.com/barry

They Cleaned Subways During Covid. Now They’ll Get Millions in Back Pay.

They cleaned subways during Covid. Now, they’ll get millions in back pay.

So proud of our team in the @nyccomptroller.bsky.social’s Bureau of Labor Law who won this $3 million settlement on behalf of 450 mostly immigrant workers who risked their safety for ours.

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/12/n...

Republicans are quietly rolling back Obamacare. Here’s how | CNN Politics President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans are no longer promising to repeal Obamacare, but that doesn’t mean they have given up efforts to take down the landmark health reform law.

Now Republicans are trying something different: quietly weakening the law and hoping you won’t notice. We can’t let them. It’s up to all of us to vote for leaders in every election who will make our healthcare system better, not undermine it. Call your member of Congress and hold them accountable.

I understand why JD Vance made his big Claremont speech. US conservatives genuinely *don't* believe in the ideals of the nation as laid out in its founding documents, so if that is the criteria for belonging, they don't belong. They need it to be blood & soil because that's the only bar they clear.

🧵Spotted While Roaming in Aotearoa New Zealand:

A warmly dressed couple (30s?) are sitting at an outdoor cafe table snuggled up under a bright red blanket on a sunny winter's day. Writing in worn looking notebooks. Heavy looking backpacks resting at their feet. The vibe is cosy chill. (1)

Expanding his radical ambitions, Trump intervenes in private American businesses Business leaders thought the president would deliver tax breaks and deregulation. Then he started telling them how to run their companies.

2024: Business leaders back Trump, assume he’ll deliver corporate tax breaks and deregulation.

2025: Trump delivers corporate tax breaks and deregulation — and then starts telling those same business leaders how to run their companies. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

YouTube video by MSNBC Maddow points out the dark possibility behind Trump's removal of IRS commissioner Billy Long

Folks who subscribe to the newsletter already saw it, but in case you're not on that list, Rachel recorded an extra segment last night that we didn't have time to air.

Watch it here: youtu.be/mNWg7XBzM0o

(The newsletter sign-up is MSNBC.com/MaddowNewsletter)

'Gouging': US Health Insurance Giants Raked in Over $71 Billion in Profits Last Year | Common Dreams The seven largest publicly traded U.S. health insurance companies made a collective $71.3 billion in profits last year, and their CEOs took home a total of $146.1 million in compensation.

80 million Americans are uninsured or underinsured.

But the big health insurance corporations raked in more than $71 BILLION in profits last year.

The system is broken. We need Medicare for All. www.commondreams.org/news/health-...

BUT WAIT THERES MORE

do you know about Zombie fires?

This is the rest of our lives, folks.

Also: weed is legal in DC and smelling it is basically a constant of walking around the city.

the evergiven boat meme with structural problem being the boat and the lil digger is “making different personal choices”

wait wait post the boat bart

YouTube video by Justin Wolfers Economic data. Where does it come from, what do we do with it, and why must politics stay out of it?

My latest "Professor Is In" explainer with @anacabrera.bsky.social was designed almost too perfectly for the present moment: Who uses economic data? Why does the government collect it, why must it be imperfect, and how does political interference undermine it?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSbn...

"Last year there were ten murders in the NYC subway system, with well over a billion total rides taken. During the same time period, there were 253 traffic fatalities in New York City. One person dead every day and a half. Cars? Those things are fucking dangerous."